April 11, 2018, Tickets $35; $30 for group sales of 10 or more
6pm - Reception for donors to meet the producer/director and artists
7pm - Screening followed by live performance with La Chana, Diego and Dieguito Amador

With depth, humor and pathos, LA CHANA celebrates the charisma and flair of a self-taught Gypsy flamenco dancer who in the 1960s-80s rose to international stardom and then suddenly vanished from the public eye at the height of her career. Peter Sellers saw her dance as a young woman and asked her to perform in the film 'The Bobo' in 1967. Hollywood beckoned, but that was not to be. In her baroque boudoir in Barcelona, La Chana continues to practice her art and reveals the reason her career came to such an abrupt end. Filled with footage of spectacular flamenco dance and music, this film brings us under the skin and into the irrepressible spirit of this eccentric woman with an uncanny gift for rhythm who, despite all odds, enjoys a comeback in her late sixties.

An official selection in 45 film festivals in 5 continents, the 2016 documentary LA CHANA directed by Lucija Stojevic has won four Audience Awards: IDFA (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam 2016); il premio del pubblico at le Voci Dell’Inchiesta; Dock of the Bay Festival 2018 in San Sebastian, Spain, and Budapest International Documentary Festival 2018. Nominated as one of five documentaries for the European Film Awards 2017, it won Best Documentary in the Gaudí Awards 2018 (Catalan “Oscars”), Best Documentary FEROZ Awards 2018 (Spanish Critics Choice Award), and SADE Award Dock of the Bay Festival 2018. This film also won Chopin's Nose award for best documentary on arts & music at Docs Against Gravity Film Festival in Warsaw, Poland, with the citation: “For the powerful and captivating image of an artist and a person, which shows the determination and strength of personality. For a captivating and inspirational story which proves that there are no limits for a true passion.” It was also nominated for the IDFA Alliance of Women Film Journalists’ 2016 EDA Award for Best Female-Directed Documentary. Spain’s Ministry of Culture will award La Chana a medal in recognition of her artistic contributions on April 8, 2018 in Madrid.

La Chana and Lucija

Producer/Director: Lucija Stojevic
Lucija Stojevic was educated in The University of Edinburgh (MA) and Prague Film School. In 2006, she established Noctiluca Media Production GmbH in Vienna and, in 2014, Noon Films S.L in Barcelona. She has produced over 30 short format documentaries for The Guardian, The New York Times and Global Post. Her work has also been displayed in exhibitions in Austria, Screens of Barcelona/ LOOP (Spain) and The Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

We appreciate your support for this film. TVE (Spanish public TV) is a co-producer/broadcaster. The project participated in the European MEDIA training initiative ESoDoc in 2013 and was pitched at Documentary in Europe. It was selected for the project market of East Doc Platform 2014, and as one of 16 projects selected for Speed Meetings with the Industry at Docs Barcelona 2014. The production team is planning audiences engagement within the Roma communities both in Europe and USA. We believe this film can play an important role in those communities to encourage women and girls to strive for their dreams and fight for their rights. Empowerment through stories is the power of documentaries.

NYWIFT programs, screenings and events are supported, in part, by grants from New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.